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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PR- 017-04
January 21, 2004

MAYOR MICHAEL R. BLOOMBERG ANNOUNCES ENERGY POLICY TASK FORCE RECOMMENDATIONS

Report Calls for Improved Energy Efficiency, Increased Generation & Transmission Capacity, Enhanced Distribution System, and Clean, Affordable Power

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg today announced the New York City Energy Policy Task Force recommendations for the City’s energy policy and strategies for meeting current and future energy demands.  The recommendations outlined in the report New York City Energy Policy: An Electricity Resource Roadmap, present a comprehensive action plan that includes recommendations in four principal areas: energy supply, distributed resources, energy delivery, and initiatives for New York City agencies. While peak electricity demand in 2003 reached 10,960 megawatts, anticipated increases in the future will necessitate increased capacity.  The Energy Policy Task Force report concludes that the City will need 2,600 megawatts of new electricity resources by 2008 to ensure continued reliability, promote economic growth and address environmental issues.

“While the City has adequate energy resources for our considerable needs today, those needs are growing day by day and we must act now to ensure that we have a sufficient supply of clean and reliable power to meet future demands,” said Mayor Bloomberg. “This report is the result of a unique collaboration between the City and the energy, business, environmental and consumer advocate communities, and I thank the Task Force members for their diligence in producing this important and timely report.  Using this report as a framework, the working groups of the Task Force will immediately begin implementing the report’s action plan of 28 specific recommendations to ensure our future energy needs in the most efficient and environmentally sound way possible.”

“The City’s Energy Report identifies the key issues that must be addressed in order to meet the growing energy needs of New Yorkers and to keep New York a world-class City,” said Con Edison Chairman and CEO Eugene R. McGrath. “The report recognizes the importance of critical energy infrastructure investment and meeting the challenges of siting facilities needed for the continued reliability of New York City’s energy systems.”

The major recommendations of the report include:

  • Promote increased investment in energy efficiency by supporting policies that enhance overall electric system reliability, lower consumer costs and protect the environment.
  • Support innovative financing for appropriate electricity projects, including the use of long-term power purchase agreements as a vehicle for reducing project risk.
  • Advocate in Albany for the immediate passage of an amended Article X power plant siting law and facilitate appropriate siting of power plants and other energy facilities.
  • Establish a formal planning process to coordinate the major infrastructure projects for the City, State and local distribution utilities.
  • Enhance and expand the City’s energy efficiency programs, such as the Energy Cost Reduction Program (ENCORE), and incorporate cost-effective, high-performance design strategies into City-led projects for long-term value.

“The Task Force report offers a comprehensive and balanced blueprint for meeting future electricity needs while reducing harmful pollution,” said Natural Resources Defense Council Director Ashok Gupta. “The keys to achieving this goal are adopting policies that unleash increased investment in new, clean energy technologies, encouraging efficient use by consumers, removing barriers to clean on-site distributed generation and replacing older electricity plants with clean renewables and properly sited, state-of-the-art natural gas power plants.”

“If we are to meet the requirement of 2,600 additional megawatts by 2008, the private sector must be willing to invest in new generation and transmission facilities in the near term,” said New York City Economic Development Corporation (EDC) President Andrew Alper. “To encourage the necessary investment, we must be able to offer developers creative new financing mechanisms and expedited approval and permitting procedures.”

“There are few potential sites in the City for multi-acre new plants in the City,” said EDC Senior Vice President Gil Quiniones. “Repowering existing plants by redesigning and refitting them to increase generating capacity defers the necessity of building new plants in the City and results in both higher efficiency and cleaner facilities.”

Established by the Mayor in July 2003, the Energy Policy Task Force is chaired by EDC and has sixteen members consisting of leading energy experts in the private, public and nonprofit sectors, as well as representatives of community groups. Members of the task force are:

  • Gil C. Quiniones, Energy Task Force Chair and Senior Vice President of Energy, EDC
  • Terry Agriss, Vice President, Energy Management, Con Edison Company of New York, Inc.
  • Garry Brown, Vice President, Strategic Development, New York Independent System Operator
  • Scott Butler, Vice President, Energy, EDC
  • Michael Delaney, Assistant Vice President, Energy, EDC
  •  John Gilbert, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Rudin Management (Representing New York Building Congress, Real Estate Board of New York, Association for a Better New York, Building Construction & Trades Council)
  • David Greenberg, Deputy Commissioner for Fiscal Management and Operations, DCAS
  • Ashok Gupta, Director, Air & Energy Program, Natural Resources Defense Council
  • William Harkins, Energy Consultant (Representing New York Building Congress)
  • David Hepinstall, Executive Director, Association for Energy Affordability (Also representing Association of Energy Engineers – NYC)
  • Catherine Luthin, Principal, Luthin Associates (Representing Consumer Power Advocates)
  • David Manning, Senior Vice President, Corporate Affairs, KeySpan Energy
  • Patricia Noonan, Vice President, Research and Policy, Partnership for New York City
  • Jay Raphaelson, President, Energy Watch (Representing New York Energy Buyers Forum, Building Owners and Managers Association, Owners Committee on Electric Rates)
    • Peter Smith, Acting President, New York State Energy Research & Development Authority
  • Gail Suchman, Senior Environmental Counsel, New York Lawyers for the Public Interest (Also representing Communities United for Responsible Energy)






MEDIA CONTACT:


Edward Skyler / Jennifer Falk   (212) 788-2958

Michael Sherman / Janel Patterson   (EDC)
(212) 312-3523




More Resources
Read the report (in PDF)